Global Versions Of ‘The Walking Dead’ Will Air Within 24 Hours Of U.S. Episodes To Fight Piracy

Probably one of the best ways to fight piracy is by giving people what they want before they resort to other means to get it. AMC is taking that approach with the new season of zombie suspense show The Walking Dead, and will release new episodes for international viewers within 24 hours of the original airtime.

The lag time for season three had been a week, which The Wrap says was pretty darn quick back then, but with this new 24-hour release schedule the game has been upped.

During those 24 hours, each episode will be dubbed into 44 languages before hitting audiences in countries around the world on Fox channels. This speedy turnaround has many benefits, including putting the kibosh on piracy.

Fox International Channel is the international partner on the series and exclusive first window broadcaster of the show outside the U.S.

”We want to prevent the spoilers for sure, we also want to make sure [international viewers] get the best version of the show — not some pirated version,” Liz Dolan, FIC’s chief marketing officer, told TheWrap. “But we also want them to get it super fast.”

The rate at which the 125 countries receive the freshest zombies (and everyone knows the dead are best when fresh) will vary — for example, Polish viewers will only have to wait for 19 hours after United States fans see the new episodes.